Remembrance Lectures: The poppy in 2017

What does it mean to wear a poppy on television, in school or as a statesperson? What is behind recent controversies around wearing or not wearing the symbol? And how have the politics of the poppy evolved?

Our inaugural Remembrance Lectures trace the history of the symbol and invite public figures from sportspeople to historians and from journalists to politicians to discuss what it means to wear a poppy in 2017.

Speakers include:
- Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, former Deputy Mayor of London and Green Party member of the House of Lords
- Nicholas Saunders – historian, author of 'The Poppy: A Cultural History from Ancient Egypt to Flanders Fields to Afghanistan'
- Martin Kettle, Associate Editor, The Guardian
- Madeleine Fry, freelance journalist who has written for The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times and Open Democracy

This is part of IWM’s Remembrance Lectures 2017 alongside 'Am I a hero?', a conversation with veterans and healthcare professionals about bravery, mental health and the use of the term ‘hero’ in, and around, the armed forces. 'Am I a hero?' will take place at Imperial War Museum North in Manchester on Sunday 29 October at 3pm.